I was immediately excited about this Vosges bar to see that it incorporated both a familiar ingredient and something exotic. The dried cherries are a very familiar taste, which Rooibus, an tea from an African bush, is something that is more elusive to the American flavor palette. Rooibus is a pleasantly grassy tea, hat has richer, more caramel flavors to it compared to more popular teas like sencha (green tea) or earl gray.

The chocolate has a nice sheen and is a pleasant, rich brown color. It smells purely of fruity chocolate, with no hint of tea or cherries.

The flavor is mainly of the bright, tart, fruity cherries and the wonderfully rich, complex milk chocolate. I have a hard time tasting and feeling the texture of the rooibus. The cherries and the milk chocolate are such dominant flavors that I feel the tea gets lost. The milk chocolate has wonderful cream and caramel notes, and along with the cherries it makes for a extremely rich experience. The cherries are incredibly fresh and tasty with intense mixing sweet and tart flavors. It’s awesome, just don’t expect much in the rooibus department.

I feel this bar is partly a success only because you can’t really taste one of the main ingredients. Still, even with the chocolate and the cherries it’s a delicious gourmet chocolate bar. It might be a good chocolate to introduce to those who aren’t as inclined to try new things, since the rooibus is such a hidden flavor.